First Person Friday: Why do you blog?

by

carla1505

My question for myself this week is my question for you:

Why do you blog?

It will come as no surprise to most of you I returned from BlogHer waving the white flag of blog-surrender.

While I definitely re-found my community mojo there (thanks to all these women & I know Im forgetting a bunch) I left feeling my MizFit-blogging days may be numbered.

That my days of blogging in this fashion could be drawing to an end & I might, after a longass blogcation, return to the ‘net a smaller more anonymous way.

A few of you commented on last Friday’s post you ‘sensed’ there was a lot more I wasnt sharing from my BlogHer experience.

There was—-and there wasn’t.

As a grownass woman I take complete & total responsibility that the blog-malaise Im experiencing is of my own making.

Let me back up.

I started MizFit as a way to give back.

I’d found I was asked the same fitness questions by friends/family/total strangers in the grocery.

I figured I may as well create a place to send people where I could share what I knew & they could support each other as well.

It goes back to what Ive repeatedly said about the need for us to* know our gifts* and not be embarrassed to OWN THEM.

Im a community builder.

It’s what I do.

I could easily point out 20983 bloggers who write far better than I–but I never question my ability to create a  community & the prospect of an online one excited me.

When I launched MizFit in Feb 2008, my plan was to start the ball rolling & eventually step away.

To create a community where the smallest part of the days post was my writing & the biggest took place in the commentversation.

And then I fell in love with blogging.

Id previously been a mommy blogger and, to be honest, Id never been as smitten with that as I am with our healthy living/fitness/whatever you wanna call it community.

I found *I* was inspired & motivated when I read your blogs & shared in your successes.

I discovered, to my surprise, that the notion of STRUGGLE is a universal one.

My struggles may not currently be weightloss yet I found I could still ride your collective waves of inspiration to face my daily challenges regardless of what arena.

I found I was truly called to want to help when Id read blog entries where you were struggling.

(people frequently ask me “how do you arrange your blog reading?! Do you have a schedule of blogs you read on certain days of the week?” which makes me laugh.  I love starting my days with your posts & commenting when Im so moved. No “blog reader” (google reader?) here— I just click and peruse.)

Somewhere along the way I think Ive lost my….way.

Recently Ive begun to focus much of this malaise on the fact that *large* companies refuse to sponsor blogs yet relentlessly bombard us with PR requests to pitch their products & promote their chickenbus.

And willingly promote I do.

I need to take ownership of that as I love doing the giveaways (especially in this economy when it seems FEW of us have money left over for silly unnecessary but *fun*extras).

One of the more popular mom bloggers recently organized a PR BLACKOUT.

The reaction was tremendously mixed & one negative comment stuck in my head:

The commenter (also a blogger) told the organizer she was, essentially, sitting in a steaming shit-pile of her own making.

(Blunt, yes.  MIND STICKING? Fo’shizzle.)

Which all brought me, as I sat squarely in the steaming pile of my own Mizcreation, back to square one.

Why do I blog?

I blog for myself. I blog to help others. I blog to give back for all Ive been given. I blog to give away information/education/free treats Ive been fortunate to receive.

Is it wrong to want to at least be able to reconcile the time I spend writing (something I also do as my day-job) with some sort of income?

(Im talking one figure here not three.  Im demanding but realistic.)

Is it wrong to grow annoyed with the fact that LARGE COMPANIES (yes. ones which rhyme with schmadidas & schmeeebock) want me to promote them for free?

Is it wrong that, after Ive said no & realize there are 100s of bloggers out there who will happily say yes, Im still resentful of the companies’ lack of respect for our ‘profession?’

Can it be as simple as my no longer opening the many PR emails which clog my in-box, cutting back my posting schedule & realizing that we, the readers, value something they, the large companies, for the most part do not?

which all brings me back to square one:

Why do I blog?

I blog for you.

For those of you who have made it through this long-ass tattooed-navel gazing post.

For those of you who rallied behind one of our fellow bloggers who is struggling.

For all of you who rally behind ALL the bloggers out there working to make their today a better one than their yesterday or maintain momentum from a good day had.

Heck, I even blog for the small group of amazing PR professionals/small biz owners whom I now consider more friends than anything else.

and yes.

I wrap up this long, meandering, resolving nothing, self indulgent post still wondering & now wanting to know:

Why do you blog?

please to take a moment & hit me up in the comments.

I’ll join you there as well.


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Comments

  1. This is such an interesting quote. I think that when I first got into blogging (with the URL attached to my name) I was a frustrated, starved weight loss girl on a mission to be skinny. I posted health related articles, and then it sprialed into a whole journey of my binge eating, hating my body, then going to Timor and finding myself. I decided that after a year of talking nothing more than about my weight (sans the Timor bit) I had enough. I equated my success with how many viewers I got and since I live in Australia, don’t have the perfect answer, all the PR behind me, etc. I felt like my time had come. I ended it almost one year to the date that I started it. Blogging takes up A HELL OF A LOT OF TIME! There are monster blogs out there and little communities of pepole that meet up with eachother and it’s great.

    However, I am going to start a new blog…coming soon. It’s about sharing with people through research, other people’s insight etc. the things which bring fulfillment to their lives. It’s not rooted in pyscho babble, religion, etc. It’s real people sharing what makes them happy. So much of the blog world is tied up in Type ‘A’ personalities sharing their amazing ways to be this, that, or the other. Lets just celebrate being us–which is EXACTLY what you stand for–that’s why people adore you.

    So I guess the long of the long is that blogging for me intitally was about bitching about how ‘fat’ I was. Now, I want to live my life fully. For you, MizFit, it may be time to say ‘Thank You and Goodbye…for right now’. The beauty of life and of blogging is that it manifests itself in many different ways. I have posted a blog post in over a week and it’s felt great. I miss it at times, but realise that I want to invest in things which bring me peace, joy, and a new sense of purpose–if I am going to invest as much time as I did when I blogged.

    Good luck with your decision. Remember at the end of it, life is for you to live..for you and no one else.

  2. I blog because I am trying. Just as struggles are universal so too is the trying to overcome.

    Some bad days I can write and be lifted up by the blogging community. Some great days my efforts can be celebrated by the blogging community and some amazing days I can inspire a person.

    I have ignored the emails offering link sponsership, product placement, reviews…but I might not always. Right now I blog because I really want to keep my head in the game and lose weight.

    I have lost 20lbs but haven’t lost any real weight in 3 months. I still have 40lbs to go. If it weren’t for my blog I would probably have given up and started all over again 10 times in these past 3 months. But my blog helps me see that it really is a journey. It gives me perspective.

    Blogging helps me so I blog. Sometimes I think about deleting it and just reading others’ blogs-that is where I really get motivated…maybe….

  3. I began blogging and reading other blogs as a way to connect with others and express myself. I am a SAHM and the interaction, support and friendships I’ve created from blogs/blogging have added tremendous quality to the “adult interaction” part of my daily life.

    Also, blogging has been a very “kid-friendly” way to express myself. When I say kid-friendly, I mean I can flip open my PC, do my thing and then be on my way back to my family. (Sometimes with a smile on my face or tears streaming down my cheeks from reading a great post or receiving a great comment.)

  4. Hmmm this is a toughie.
    Firstly I want to say: Miz PLEASE don’t stop blogging! Unless it’s making you unhappy of course. Even just one post a week would be cool – a little update of how you are and what’s on your mind.

    As for why do I blog?
    To be honest I think. To explore how I feel, get it out of my head and into reality and by doing so learning to understand myself better. To be get to know other people with similar struggles. To be understood and to not feel alone.

    I also like to think I can be funny from time to time and love that I might make people laugh occasionally.

  5. Miz,
    You know what I love about this post? It feels so completely honest, real, and spoken from the heart (not saying your other posts aren’t…just something about this one really jumped out).

    Why do I blog? I think that answer is one that has evolved over time. I began blogging to share part of that story I have within me. That’s not why I continue to blog, though. Today, I blog because it brings me a closer connection with my readers, and it helps me to understand my life better. Maybe it could be likened to thinking on paper (or computer screen in this case), getting my thoughts out there, learning from others along the way, and evolving into the person more deeply buried at my core. (and talking about core…I should really do some crunches…)

    There are days I question it all…and then something comes along that makes it so worth it! That re-reminds me how deeply this goes for me…

    So, I blog to connect to my inner-most being…and it is all good…

  6. I started a blog to track my progress when I first took up running. It was a great way to stay accountable. Now, I am very much a runner and though I hit peaks and troughs with running, I know I will never give it up.

    Which leaves me with your question–why do I blog? I’ve debated whether to stop. It takes up a lot of time and for little return since running is now a habit. I have lots of blogger friends and I enjoy the give and take of the running blogger community, but now I’m wondering if I’m contributing anything worthwhile or just on an ego trip.

    Definite food for thought. It’s why I love your blog MizFit. Thanks.

  7. Good question and I must admit to feeling as if it takes up a lot of time lately.

    When I first started it was back when I didn’t go out much, avoided social interaction and felt quite alone on the weight loss thing. I found Shauna Reid’s blog and read it all and, from hers, found others. When I realised they were just ordinary folks like me, I decided to do my own.

    I loved the community, the inspiring stories and have been blown away by the kindness of the bloggers. I sometimes feel my posts are a tad boring and rather self-centred and really only show one part of the whole me, but it keeps me focussed, keeps me accountable and I enjoy it.

    It also proves that a woman in her late 40s (sigh), who has chronic illness, overweight, life-threatening health issues, a depressive tendancy, painful joints, a lazy ass and menopausal symptoms can turn it all around and have a life worth living again. I want others to be able to see that anything is possible.

    Of course, now I no longer hide indoors, have a lot more energy and spend a lot more time thrashing through the countryside. Which all causes a bit of a dilemma – how to fit it all in? I will, though, because it is rewarding in so many ways.

    I hope you can find a solution, Carla, as your blog truly does have value and the fitness/health community would be the poorer without it.

  8. I am so glad you posted this as one thing I came away from meeting you with at BlogHer was how real you are.

    I don’t know if you remember meeting me but a group of us were discussing the lack of financial reward in blogging (LOL at the one figure comment in your post) when we view ourselves as professionals.

    Lots of people suggested you “sell stuff. anything! offer coaching.” and I really was impressed at how you responded that you didn’t want to.

    You kept saying that you wanted to just write and not have MizFit a place where you are always pitching your product.

    Fiscally smart or not 🙂 I admired that.

    I am a blog reader/commenter for many of the same reasons you blog.

  9. I don’t have a blog and must be a little clueless as I didn’t see any foreshadowing last week 🙂

    I do know that it’s difficult when we work hard at something we love to not perceive others as valuing it yet your post leaves me perplexed:

    if you started Miz to build a community (and you have. YOU ROCK!) then you are succeeding.

    WHy do you need to make money from it?

  10. That’s interesting – while I have a blog and also write at Shredheads, I don’t think of myself as a blogger. That’s for people who write well, and who are witty. I’m just a schmuck with a blog. 🙂

    My personal blog is for myself…so I can remember stories about the family, things I was thinking, whatever. Kind of like a diary. But one that my in-laws can read. WTF was I thinking in giving them the address?

    And I write at Shredheads to keep myself motivated in working out, and hopefully to motivate other people as well. Nothing keeps me motivated more than knowing (okay, hoping) someone is reading and cares about what I’m doing.

  11. I blog for myself and about my life. The interesting thing to me is how your post made me realize that you do not for the most part.

    I do look to MizFit for infomation and inspiration.

    I never considered the time it takes to compile all this for us or that you don’t sell diet programs 😉 or have popup ads to make an income from it.

    Could you do that?

  12. I agree with what Lance said up there.

    In response to your question – Having never been successful in the past before, for some reason I started my blog believing that this year I would be and that I would have something valuable from my story to share with others. It worked for me, maybe because it made me think long and hard about what was stopping me from exercising and losing weight in the past, it made me honest with myself. Sometimes I wonder if I need it now, but then I remember how nice it is to connect with others and so I keep writting.

  13. I think there are really 2 questions here: 1. Why did you START blogging and 2. Why do you continue to blog? The answer to #1 for me was to share healthy recipes and have a way to interact with others who post similar recipes. Simple enough- yes? Once I got on, I found a whole bundle of things I was not expecting including a loving and support community. I could never just totally walk away from that!

  14. I love that you’ve put it right out there: the “behind the scenes” malaise that so many of us semi-professional bloggers experience.

    And I say “semi-professional” in that we put work-like hours into it but don’t actually get paid much of anything. And yes, it’s a dilemma of our own making–yet I think many folks don’t understand how much time it takes. I know I’d answer the question “why do you need to make money from it” with the simple: because I need to pay bills! And if you’re taking a huge chunk of your week to build a community and educate and entertain folks on the blog, these are hours that are taken away from work opportunities, from family, and from other worthy pursuits.

    At some point, we have to put blogging into the context of the rest of our lives and figure out if it makes sense.

    I struggle with this a lot.

    I know that if MizFit takes a break or morphs into something else, it will be sorely missed. You do such amazing things here. But I think it’s reasonable to think about yourself too and your needs too, not just your blog.

    (And I realize I didn’t answer the question, because I’d go on for pages.)

    Hope the answer becomes clear and you figure out what’s best for you!

  15. I don’t blog and I actually read very few blogs (time).
    I love MizFit because I do learn a lot (here and in the comments as you point out) yet I felt as though I didn’t know anything about YOU until you launched this friday thing.

    I like it even though I have no answers for you.

  16. Thanks so much for chiming in and adding your thoughts whether you blog or are a reader/commenter!

    and my responses could be as long as the post itself so Ill try and hold back 🙂

    This is a lot of it which was phrased better by you than me:

    Lots of people suggested you “sell stuff. anything! offer coaching.” and I really was impressed at how you responded that you didn’t want to.

    You kept saying that you wanted to just write and not have MizFit a place where you are always pitching your product.

    Biz coaches/blog coaches who have stumbled upon MizFit frequently contact me asking WHY DO THEY COME HERE? WHY SHOULD THEY COME HERE? YOU NEED TO SELL STUFF!
    and I dont wanna.

    I have a book proposal ready and WORDS are something Id happily sell—but anything else isnt ‘thing’ right now.

    and Erica?

    I could never just totally walk away from that!

    Im with you which is why I know Ill always blog in one fashion or another.

  17. I try to use my blog to organize my thoughts and have a personal space to reflect (ok rant might be a better word) on some of the topics I read about or think about. It’s helped me find my ideas about body image, eating, weight loss, life(?).

    I’m sorry you feel that way about your blog. I can only imagine how much time and energy you need to do what you do. Just to read the replies here would take forever, much less visiting everyone elses blog. You do provide such great information and get us thinking about things in a different light.

    Would you still post for watrd every once in a while?

  19. (LOL at Jenny. Someone is grumpy today.)

    Perhaps it is as easy as backing up and reapproaching?

    Taking what you do now and lessening it?

    I can not imagine your emails and stuff like that. How much you must receive.

  20. This may sound trite, but I started to blog because I wanted to make a difference.

    Obesity was one of the hardest things to live with, and after I lost the weight, I really wanted to share with others that there is a way out.

  21. I started blogging as a way to distract me from mindless eating. When I got the urge to overeat, I read blogs.

    I’m stuck in my life right now. I have two small children that require quiet time everyday. I can’t leave the house during that time, so I blog.

    What I really want is a job and to put my kids in daycare. But, I committed to this whole mommy thing, so I won’t do that. I use blogging as an out, an escape from my life.

    It is what it is.

    I love the support I’m finding. I’m new here, only 3 weeks into it, but people have been so welcoming.

  22. I have a password protected blog so that I can say anything I feel and not worry about people I do not want to read seeing it.

    Maybe because of that I find blogging to be an constant source of stress RELIEF and not of any stress production.

    Have you ever asked companies to sponsor you?

    I work in PR and it is done.

  23. Hi, long term lurker first time commenter here. I love your blog MizFit!

    I started blogging as a way to release what’s in my head about everything during our wedding. I found it really helpful and when I was done with that we continued to blog randomly but I knew I wanted more. I put together my journey to getting fit in a blog and I now have a lot more community to fall back on if I need support! I don’t have anywhere near as many commentors as you do but it just feels good and keeps me accountable to be putting it all out there on the internet.

  24. I do not have a blog and am like you in finding motivation through other people and their words.

    I really like this post because you have shared and thrown it back to us.

    Yours is not the first post of this ilk I have read (so many seem to be burning out!!) and I like that it did not feel to me as if you want us to beg you to saty.

    I say if you can no longer get jazzed by this blog start a new one!

    I will be there reading.

  25. I started blogging over four years ago simply because a few of my college friends had blogs. Since we were all spread across the country, blog updates became an easy way to keep up with one anothers lives/happening. Then I started reading blogs belonging to more than just my real life friends, and I made blog friends. Soon I felt like part of a community.

    Four years later, I use my blog for two main purposes: 1) to capture my thoughts/feelings on the moments that make up my daily life (i.e. newlywed issues, preparing for a baby) and 2) to connect to a larger community of people.

  27. I totally hear you, Miz.

    Of course, my little blog isn’t anywhere near as popular as yours, but it still takes a tremendous amount of time. I love the community of bloggers who are so supportive and encouraging of each other, which is why I keep going.

    I, too, wish there were a way to make money while at the same time doing something I really enjoy, but it’s starting to look like I’ll be getting a “real” job soon. Just as soon as someone decides they need to hire a totally awesome old chubby lady to make their company complete!

  28. I blog as an outlet. I blog because I need to express myself and knowing that there are other people out there who can relate and support me is vital. I blog because when you move around the world you need a community and while I have my real-life communities, the blogging community is amazing and supportive.

    I blog for me and I have the freedom to walk away somedays when it’s not inspiring. You should have that freedom too.

    I LIKE the fact that you don’t promote your services and sell products out of the wazoo. I LIKE that this is about YOU and the COMMUNITY. Don’t lose that.

    If you do move on from this, I’ll be sad. Very very sad. But I, like everyone else, will understand.

    (Between this post and Charlotte’s post, I’m not having a good start to my Friday!)

  29. Why do I blog?
    I started blogging as a way to keep track of recipes for myself, and hope that other people saw them and maybe tried them. Now though, blogging is much more than that for me…it’s been a way to meet wonderful people, share experiences, get feedback, and appreciate the little things so much more.

  30. I don’t know why I blog anymore. I’m selfish in my blogging, almost completely driven by caprice, reigned in by my own filters. I don’t have anything to offer, so I just do my thing, try to support others, and yeah.

    I think you have admirable reasons to blog, and it’s true you are a community builder. You have every reason to have the desire to be compensated for your efforts, and I hope you are soon. There are easier ways, and harder ways, and it seems like you’ve chosen the harder, more honest way.

  31. I wish I could hire BL with her chubbyness and her hairy chin to work with us.

    The reason I blog is because I can. There is no other reason. I already have a job that pays me some money. I like to write. Sometimes my work is slow enough that I can get a blog written while at work so then I get paid to blog.

    I had that cancer inside me that needed to come out. People and friends asked me about my cancer so I spilled it in a blog and then started writing about a bunch of things. Cancer, weightloss, broken bones, broken hearts.

    I blog about it because I can’t keep it all inside of me. For the love of the word. WERD.

  32. Hello, my name is Dawn, I know you from Twitter. I am otherwise known as @PainterMommy. I read your post and I have to say first of all that I appreciate your honesty in sharing your thoughts. I do wonder why you have decided to take a step back from blogging or as you call a long “blogcation”, but I also understand. We have to set limits for ourselves.

    Blogging is very time consuming. It is a job all in itself especially with all the giveaways and product reviews. I have recently taken a break from that myself and gotten back to my roots in blogging and just taking the opportunity to be ME. I am blogging about my life, my work, my faith, and lots of other things that allow me to get stuff out.

    I was writing a lot for other people, but now I am taking some time to blog just for myself. It is kinda funny, because now that I am blogging more for me, I have gotten an even better response. I think people can really feel when you are just being yourself – no ulterior motives.

    I heard a lot of things about Blogher – good & bad. I know that people walked away more knoweldgable and maybe more passionate. But there were also blogging cliques, people who are more well known sitting on higher horses. Now don’t get me wrong – I was not there. I have only heard things, so maybe I am wrong. I was talking to someone who WAS there about this and I had shared that it seemed like highschool and I can’t stand that.

    We all blog for different reasons. Some for a hobby, some because they enjoy the product reviews & giveaways, some do it as a job and get paid for it. Some are like me and just do it as a place to SHARE.

    I hope that are able to find your place in the blogging world maybe in a quieter way, which is fine. Just don’t stop being you. Maybe you need to change your blogging approach. I change mine every once in a while and it helps keep me inspired. I don’t want to force myself to write about something that I am not passionate about.

    Well, that was a long comment. Geez. LOL I guess I will see ya on Twitter. Have an awesome day!

    DAWN
    @PainterMommy

  33. I blog because there are people like you, who don’t know me at all, that are there to help me out. Thank you for dedicating your time and experience to all of us in your community! *raises a can of low sodium V8 to Miz*

  34. I blog for 3 reasons: Because I love to get my thoughts and opinions “out there,” because I like to share my knowledge with other people, and because I like to explore new ideas that come with reading not only my own comment section, but those on other blogs.

    There was a point in time not too long ago when I started to forget exactly why I sat down at my computer and tippity-tapped my keyboard each day – and at that point I considered shutting the blog down. I think I’ve come back to it with more honesty and less of an eye on how many comments/readers I have, and I think my blog is better for it. Even if nobody but me is reading 😉

  35. I like to be able to expand what I can do to reach and help people beyond the surgical arena.

    …and for the big bucks.

  36. “I blog for myself. I blog to help others. I blog to give back for all Ive been given.”

    This is why I blog these days. In the beginning, it was all about weight loss – concentrating on pounds and workouts, and what not.

    But in the process I have found that being healthy, for me, is more about what I weigh. It’s about not only living within a healthy BMI, but getting out there and living life every day. I also believe that mental and spiritual health are equally as important.

    So I blog to share in my journey for ultimate health, be that as it may. I have learned a lot and been so inspired by so many wonderful bloggers that I feel it necessary to return the favor, in the hopes that I can inspire someone else.

  38. I blog because I am used to writing and getting feedback for it. It is communication both personal and distant. This appeals to me. I also do it because it’s a platform for later when I am finally published.

  40. I blog for my own sanity, and a place to be accountable for my goals. I’ve recently been getting a bunch of weird offers (guest posts from strangers in exchange for linking to their site, which I’ve never heard of), and keep thinking that I don’t write for others and I don’t need people to write for me.

  41. Like others have pointed out, the reason I blog is not the same as the reason I started. For me, blogging about my weight loss was an accountability thing. I knew if I had at least one reader, I had someone that I didn’t want to let down. I know that sounds silly, but I knew it would work for me. Nevertheless, that is not the entire reason I continue blogging. I quickly found there is a whole community of people who need someone to assure them that they can do it. Now I am trying to find my blog’s place going forward. I will soon reach my goal, but I don’t think it is time to go away. I have no false hopes of making a living off blogging. In fact, I have not had so much as a single company even ask me to pitch a product, which is cool with me. But I want to help those who need it.

  42. I love blogging for many reasons, like I enjoy reading them (hope you get your mojo back!).

    I blog first and foremost for accountability to myself. It’s like a diary, only not so private. I have been somewhat surprised that my audience grows, but found that I love the feedback (both kinds!)

    My own blog is helpful to me because I can go back and reread when I am struggling. I hope that my blog can give back to others all the support I have received along the way. I also blog my food now to show that you can lose and maintain weight eating real food without being stuck in the land of Lean Cuisines and 100 calorie packs (which are okay for some, but not a foodie like me 😀 )

    I have always found reading blogs to be fun and interesting and have built up a support network that would never have existed without the advent of blogging! It’s more personal than a message board, and I suppose it fills some kind of ego thing? Maybe? I mean why put yourself out there if you don’t want at least someone to notice.

    The PR thing, I accept products to review, but I don’t review all of them. I like giveaways. I don’t see any problem with that as long as the blogger notes that the products were freebies.

    I think blogs also evolve and change over time. Just as the voice behind each blog goes through various stages in his/her life, so does the blog. Sometimes that means the blog goes on hiatus, or changes focus, or comes back rip roaring and bigger than ever.

  44. I first began to blog because the people around me would never listen to what I had to say. So take THAT! you people who never listened! Hi-YA!

  45. I think I initially started blogging as a way to achieve balance in my life and lose weight. I did lose some weight – much more easily than I had in the past – but I gained something from it: an understanding of food and my body.

    However, now I blog for an entirely different reason. I blog because I like documenting my life. I like telling stories. I like hearing what other people think. I like staying connected with my family and friends (who read the blog). I like sharing recipes.

    Even though I have a food/fitness blog, sometimes I just look at it as a life log.

    (I’m not one for product promotion. You will notice I rarely have giveaways…)

  46. Why DON’T I blog?

    Because I know how time and mind consuming it is for little financial benefit.

    How do I know this? Because you, Cranky, and pretty much every other blogger I read brings it up eventually.

    I’ve always wondered why a few of you over-worked folks don’t get together and SHARE a blog. You, Cranky, and Charlotte (Great Fitness Experiment) are all fantastic, but you do all over-lap the same type of material from different angles. I suppose there might be some cat fights over who gets to cover a juicy new topic, but I’m sure you could work it out.

    Me? I’m lazy. I peruse several blogs at my leisure, skip entire days if I feel like it, and shoot my mouth off if I want. The Comment section isn’t quite as attention-getting as having your own blog with your own name at the top, but a really worthwhile comment will catch the eye of a person who needs that information.

  48. beautiful post Miz. I’m so glad that you DO blog, because not only have I made a friend, but you have also asked questions in your posts that really helped me & got me thinking about so many things in my life. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and selfishly hope you don’t ever stop 😉

    I started blogging for community and to be a support to others since weight/food/fitness issues seem like they’ve always been in my life. I have been going through a dry spell myself, questioning a lot. Lately my posts seem more focused on my personal accountability. I guess I’ll just have to go with it and see where it takes me 🙂

  49. many many thoughts (dragonmamma if you only knew….) yet am working not to jump in today but just read YOUR thoughts/respond in a post.

    And no.

    I’d not just yank the plug as I’ve commitments I’ve made and my word is my blogbond 😉

  50. I blog therefore I am? Who knows really, to be accountable, to share my story, to keep a record of my journey…. all of that but I think there is something more, a desire to connect with people, to share something of myself, to reach out and feel reached out to.

    Thank you Miz Carla, for blogging for us. MizFit would be missed, no doubt, but I know your words will stay with me for many a day to come, and for that I am very very grateful.

  51. My usual outlet for stress, happiness, energy, sleepiness, eating, crying and laughing my butt off is RUNNING.

    I’m 29 weeks pregnant (today!) CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! and I can’t train for a marathon with this belly. Therefore, I blog about it. I blog about how my running has greatly transformed as a pregnant runner. I ponder what motherhood will be like, jogging with a baby jogger, and trying to squeeze in future marathon training.

    So – blogging is my new healthy addiction, to supplement those long training runs and the camaraderie of my running buddies that I miss oh-so-much.

    Also, I was a creative writer as a kid, and lost it once I graduated college and began real life in the working world. Now, writing has come back to me and it’s like a full-speed-ahead creative energy train. I’m enjoying it… we’ll see where it goes!

  52. I am in a hurry so I didn’t read every comment but can not believe I am the first to say LOL at the steaming sh*t pile!

    I don’t blog for all the reasons #48 stated far better than I could.

  53. Cogitos Ergo Blog.

    I’ve had a blog before the word blog existed. Back when I was hand-writing my own html. Before Cascading Style Sheets.

    Before I blogged, I wrote long posts on BBSs. (That was so long ago I forget what BBS stands for…)

    Before that, I wrote in a journal.

    I’ve always written about what I think (even if I haven’t always kept it, and these days, I wish I had kept all those old notebooks full of my smudged ink stained handwriting.)

    I don’t have tons of followers (70-100, maybe?) but that doesn’t matter. I don’t write for other people. I don’t write to do sponsorship and giveaways. I write because I can’t not write.

    It’s a stress-relief, the ability to just say what needs to be said.

    It’s funny you asked this. Yesterday I spent most of my day (between furious bouts of household chores) reading my archives on my diet blog… I’ve recently declared myself “at goal” and wanted to go back and see how far I’d come.

    Pretty far.

    I would still write, even if no one ever commented. (don’t get me wrong, I love commenters!)

  54. I blog because it keeps me focused like a laser beam on what I’m doing. It holds me accountable for what I’m doing. And it gives me something to waste my time with that doesn’t involve Cheetos.

    And then there’s the support, those folks that keep coming back and sharing the love and putting a little bit of fun into this weight loss adventure.

  55. I began the blog to record my weightloss journey, carefully not mentioning family names to keep them concealed..I had my circle of friends that blogged, or asked me did I blog. It wasn’t until about 4-5 months ago that I decided to take the plunge and read other weightloss blogs, when I was really struggling after grandpa’s death. I came across this one and began reading the backposts. I come back here when I get a chance. It’s given me alot of insight. It’s given me hope. It’s given me thoughts of “I can do it”. It’s given me food for thought.

    I guess I have been fortunate to never been hit up by a PR company. I’ve never been asked to promote anyone or anything. I do talk about a couple of things a lot in my blog, but it’s only because of the help it has given me.

    I’ve kind of taken a hiatus from blogging daily, and getting emails asking why I’m not blogging and how much they miss me and need my posts. But my heart isn’t in it. How can I post something I’m not doing right now. I’m having my own internal struggles with food, and exercise and trying to turn my thoughts around. So I’ve been lurking, reading, and posting comments when I felt compelled to. I swear some blogs take on a life of their own..

    Where ever you go or what ever you decide to do, I hope that you will be happy in doing it..If you do decide to leave blogging. Please know that *I* will miss you. You have helped me. You have given me *food for thought*

  56. I blog because I like the feedback and the community. I’ve met people through blogging that I never would have met otherwise, and some have become great friends. Blogging has improved my in-person social life. 🙂

  57. I hope I’ll have time in the middle of my potty training hell to come back and read all of these comments because I’m sure they are all insightful and I”m going to to be inspired after reading them.

    I blog because I NEED a community. Being a stay at home mom (in UTAH) is isolating. I have made REAL friends through my many blogs (Fitness, Mom and Food) and I would be lost here without it. I would love to make a little money at it but that is not why I’m here. The support I’ve received with my weight struggle and now my skin cancer scare has been awesome!

    And now Carla…you are showing up in my dreams! LOL!

  58. I think I agree with Erica in that there are two questions here. I started blogging because I wanted to track my experiences as an ex-pat. That then led to my food/health blog. It took me a while to get the courage to start my food blog because it was really a way for me to break free of my past. As a nutritionist I had been working in academia and up to my eyeballs in the fake food promotion, eat artificial sweeteners and promote guidelines that are increasingly dishonest and controlled by food companies.

    I was tired of this and moving abroad broke me free of it and also gave me the freedom to share my thoughts with others. So really the blog is to share my thoughts and learn from others. And oh, I learn so much from others! I stick with it because I LOVE the positive vibe of my web community. Everyone is so uplifting and whether it is the cover of the screen or not, there is little negativity like i was used to dealing with in the office.

    That leads me to the next reason, blogging isn’t just a hobby for me, as I now work from home and have started freelance writing, it is also a career. I’ve promised myself that I’ll never get to the point where i would promote a product or anything I didn’t believe in for reward or money. That’s not going to happen. The blog will always be focused on sharing and learning, honesty and truth. But my goal is for my blog to be part of a revenue source for me, however small or big that may one day be.

  59. I started my first blog (www.TechHerding.com) because I was working for Microsoft and needed a way to communicate with all the technical cats that built content for the shows we did.

    Five years later, that blog is languishing (left MS, don’t do that any more) and I’ve started a new blog called ContentPreneuring (www.ContentPreneuring.com) to look at how people use online content to build their businesses.

    Both times, I was building community and connections in support of a business goal. But I also make lots of good personal friends in the process.

  60. my goal is for my blog to be part of a revenue source for me, however small or big that may one day be.

    and is it yet?
    I think that is the myth so many buy into.
    BIGBIG bloggers (some of whom have recently quit but Id need to ask permission to name names) whom people assume are making a living at blogging raking in 1000.00 a YEAR and working 20/hrs a week.

  61. Honestly, I started reading blogs about my life interests while doing the 9 to 5 thing at a desk. In my downtime I found myself connecting with much of what the blogging community had to say. Miz, you were one of the first I discovered and still the best. I would miss you desperately if you un-blogged but would hopefully still see you around Twitter.

    As for me, I never thought I had anything to say or share and thus I didn’t blog. A couple of weeks ago my husband suggested I start a blog as a sort of journal and so I have. As someone commented earlier, I’m just a schmuck with a blog.

    I am a bit of an oddity as I suffer with an adult onset ED and can find little to no information that can really help me. Thus, as I journal about life, scrapbooking and my ED, maybe someone else with similar struggles will find me. And if not, so be it – I’ve always been a loner.

  62. What Crazylady said (please don’t stop blogging!).

    At my core- what I really feel that I am more than anything else- is a writer. Thus, my equation is as follows (and this is the closest thing to math you’ll ever find me doing):

    Writerlove + healthlove + wanting to write about whatever I want – being paid to write + wanting to share what I’ve learned/gain knowledge from other people = health blogging!

    I blog to improve my writing, to get my voice heard, to learn. I like asking questions, no matter how crazy they are, and hearing what tons of people have to say. And it’s a good motivator to keep healthy and try new things, too!

  63. I had never paid much attention to blogs – didn’t see the point – until one day I happened to come across a weight loss blog. I was intrigued. Started the weight loss blog on a regular basis and discovering more.

    I’ve never been a “go to meeting” or “support group” kind or person, but at the same time I recognize the benefit of support & feedback when working toward a goal. I’d been trying and failing to lose weight, and thought perhaps starting a blog would be a good form of accountability, and also a good way to keep a record and hopefully figure out what I was doing wrong.

    At first it was good. It gave me an outlet for all the noise in my head about the whole weight loss thing. But eventually I started to feel like it was making me a little crazy – putting pressure on me to actually produce results and unfortunately it still wasn’t happening.

    So I’ve backed off on the weight loss talk and find myself struggling with what my blog should actually be about. Because I do find myself wanting to continue. I do feel like I’ve learned from it and I enjoy interacting with fellow bloggers. But I guess I’m having a blog identity crisis.

    Um, have I answered the question?

  64. My first blog — a personal development blog, as I later learned it could be called — helped me express and share many life lessons. It gave me an outlet to open myself in a new way.

    But my own writings and my reading of other personal development bloggers’ posts showed me something was missing. I had to stop blogging to free myself from what had become a drain in my life and do some intensive inner searching.

    After a few months of not blogging, I slowly figured out what I wanted to write about: physical, mental, and emotional self defense. As a third degree black belt, I decided to pass on years and years of information and research to non-martial artists. I also purposely write so parents can learn the material and teach it to their kids.

    Will it make money? To early to tell. My blog and my e-book certainly have the potential, but I enjoying downloading this info from my brain and challenging myself to make it very easy to understand and to do.

    Knowing my blog might save someone from a nasty relationship or a horrible attack keeps me excited and motivated.

  65. thanks to ALL OF YOU for sharing and thanks to all the lurkers who have delurked to share as well!

  66. I enjoy your blog reading your blog, but I can /totally/ relate to how much time blogging sucks up.

    Go write some kickass books instead, and then put up a post here telling us where to go to buy the book! I need good things to read 🙂

  67. Ohhh Miz. I agree with some many comments already (except Jenny’s – please don’t stop blogging). I can understand what you’re saying though.

    When I realized about many diet blogs were out there and how we all have similar struggles I added my own. I’ve learned so much and gained support from bloggers when I wasn’t getting it any where else.

    Time is always a factor. I feel guilty if I don’t read my blog roll and check in with everyone. I feel guilty if I don’t post enough. That’s never a good feeling.

    Thanks for all you do Miz for all of your loyal followers.

  68. Lots of comments before 11a—looks like you’ve struck a nerve.

    I’m a reader not a blogger.

  69. I blog because I’m a writer. It’s what I do, it’s what I’ve always done. And even though I spend my days writing for work, I find that I don’t always get the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about. So I started doing that on my blog. Plus, I thought maybe I could help the joe shmoes out there (like myself) that eating, living, feeling, being healthy isn’t hard. And that anyone, even people like me, can do it.

  70. First of all, I truly enjoy reading your blog. It’s funny, informative, and yes, it’s a community. I am in a pretty good place in my life (quite different from a few years ago) when it comes to exercise, food, work, & family. But I do hit speed bumps, and your posts have inspired me to try new things, to reevaluate, to be mindful… Plus you almost always make me smile! 😉

    Why do I blog? I started my blog because I really wanted to be mindful of living my best possible life. I wanted to make me a priority when it comes to exercising, eating, finding a work/life balance, finding some me time (that’s probably the one thing I haven’t figured out yet thanks to the toddler…). In the process, I have found my own little wonderful community of bloggers. People who truly care when things don’t go so well, who share recipes and workout advice, who stop by to simply say hi. I consider them my friends and hope that my posts and my comments on their blogs are helpful to them at times. Blogging has truly enriched my life. Just last night I made homemade, whole wheat pizza crust thanks to the encouragement (and “hand-holding”) of my readers.

    I would hate to see you go/slip away, but in the end you need to do what works for you. I love that you started this blog to give back, but, in the long run, it has to work for you and your life…

  71. Miz, first off – damn. You know how to ask such compelling questions and you always have your “no b-s” flag waving high so that all of us can truly embrace reading the truth and writing it ourselves. Endless thank-yous for that.
    I guess the point of yours I identify most is that blogging is pretty much a self-imposed gig with a grab-bag of mixed emotions attached to it. Maybe we’re all just masochists? 😉
    I began my blog because, frankly, I love to write, I love to talk about my journey and hear about others’ journeys and I wanted to keep myself accountable to my goals. What has made me feel less “guilty” about the time commitment is how mentally stimulating SO many bloggers out there are (you, of course, being a big source of this brain food). The way so many out there grapple with such profound questions and seek and offer answers, just provides me so much “take-away” that I wonder why I’m not paying some sort of tuition to be getting so much valuable information that allows me to better my health holistically. Thanks to so many for being so strong and so analytical. I have also made connections with people across the U.S. who have truly impacted my life in such a positive way, and some who are so similar in struggles and sentiments that I wonder if we had been separated at birth!
    Thanks for this post, Miz!

  72. lots of great responses….mine would probably be more of the same….

    at first my SIL talked me into starting a blog… to share with family our life…and of course I loved it…. but after 2 years… none of my family came by..not unless I bugged them about it… It really hurt…REALLY hurt. I gave a warning but no reply so I pulled the plug..

    forget blogging…only 2 blogger friends expressed disappointment (my only audience really) and something happened. I MISSED it. I missed putting out there the daily antics of my family. I felt some day having an accounting of our life at this point would be something we would cherish… and it only took a few days before I felt I had to get back on; but not for the family…for ME and find a new audience.

    It didn’t take long but now I have new blogger friends and I LOVE it. It’s so so nice to know there are folks out there that get you and can help you and whom you can help and share too…it’s all about connecting with others.

    I also love that I am re-learning writing skills that I used to love and enjoy.

    Why do I blog? for ME. To share. To connect. To smile, to offer support…. to crack a joke…to just be ME in a great arena.

    Thanks Miz for some wonderful food for thougth; and PLEASE don’t leave! It seems to be happeneing a lot in bloggosphere. It makes me sad.

    Happy Friday BTW!!

  73. I blog to entertain. But I am where you are.

    What you do has value and does take effort and energy. When someone offers a small token it is easy to get discouraged. I think blogging is going through a change right now – we’ll see where it ends eh?

  74. you have fabbo commenters 🙂

    i wish i knew what to add! but you do know no matter what you do we’ll all be here. i always say to people who apologise for not posting every day or disappearing for awhile… we’re not going anywhere! most people stalk blogs using google reader or whatnot so if you to scale it back a little for your sanity; we’d still be right back here whenever you posted.

  75. I think that why we blog evolves over the blog. When I started Weight One Day (now Fabulous @50) It was all about accountability. I wanted to stay with my diet and exercise regime because I didn’t want to come on line and write that I f*cked up. I think a lot of people start out that way in weight loss blogging. As time went by, I started seeing it as a dialog. I had wanted to build a community (I even started a yahoo group for people who had over 100 lbs to lose) but I had these convictions about the PR stuff.

    I never had ads on my blog, never did product review, and I wasn’t a “go getter”. The reason was that I thought that I was somehow keeping my blog “pure” in some way.

    Eventually I figured, what the heck, I’m blogging this same stuff anyway, why not throw up the ads, it’s not like anyone reads them, and now once every 3 or 4 months a get a check for $25. It doesn’t involve me compromising myself in any way.

    I also found that I was READING the product reviews on the other blogs. If I find something I like, why would I NOT share it in a dialog with the people who are reading my blog, and whose blog I read? I’ve only had one company say they’d like to send me something to review… and I turned them down, because it wasn’t a product I’d normally use. I wonder if companies DON’T ask me to review their items because I am generally giving the pros AND cons of items, not just spewing out advertising jargon.

    That said, I think there’s always the temptation to try to make more advertising money and score more products for some people. I read some blogs now that look to be about 80% advertising, and it’s becoming less of a dialog and more of a sales pitch.

    I’m guessing there are a lot of blogs out there that are making some pretty good money on advertising or product placement. I wouldn’t mind making the money, but it’s not worth becoming a sell-out.

  76. I started my blog to help others. I am a recovered bulimic, and I wanted to show other people that disordered eating is not a permanent way of life. Unfortunately, my blog doesn’t exactly have the **readership** that I would like, so I’m afraid that I’m not really helping anyone at this point.

    SO, that said, I blog for myself. I blog for fun, and to see if I can ultimately help someone throughout the process. I guess that I am challenging myself to make a difference.

  77. I started blogging because I needed to lose weight, I was thinking a lot about it, and I didn’t want to bother people on my personal blog. Simple as that. I didn’t know what a HUGE community of food and fitness blogs there was out there until after I started, and I am continually amazed at the awesome people I come in contact with.

  78. I originally started this particular blogging journey in Dec 2007 with no direction. When the new year rolled around I must have made a resolution about health and my blogging activities after that turned toward journaling my story, my progress, my many struggles, my successes, and my thoughts. Over the last year and a half I’ve done that and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. When I started writing I really wasn’t doing it for anyone else. I wanted to get those things down on paper, so to speak, so they wouldn’t take up space in my head. I didn’t want to tell anyone I knew about my blog and even now only about 5 of my real friends know about it. I had no real intention for an audience but over time through finding similar blogs and awesome people online I’ve found an audience and community that supports me. It has become one of the most rewarding things in my life for this very reason.

    I now blog because I need to, because I want to, because I’ve been told I’m a good writer, and because I need a place to write. Although I’ve tired myself with writing and thinking specifically about weight loss (and often about myself) I am still completely enthralled and excited to be living a healthy life and sharing my thoughts on it. I do spend a lot of time writing, thinking about posts, responding to e-mails, etc. I agree with MizFit that it would be nice to be compensated for my the time I spend working on my blog. I don’t want to get rich, but it would be nice to be able to feed myself healthy food without worrying if I am spending too much. I worry a lot about paying my bills and trying to help out my mom with hers. Sometimes it is difficult to justify spending so much time in the blogging world without making enough money to even buy myself food. (I went grocery shopping yesterday and almost had a breakdown when I had to pay, hehe.)

    Okay, thats enough. I could go on for days on this.

  79. I blog because I have a lot of questions and because I have a lot of trivial sh*t in my head that no one IRL would understand, but you and all the other bloggers do. I blog because sometimes I have something IMPORTANT to say and I blog because I don’t want to forget that I am a funny person, even when no one else is laughing. This blog has helped me get my identity back – I no longer try to portray myself as a good, trying-to-be perfect wife/mom/worker, now I tell it like it is, and people STILL like me.

    My blog is who I am authentically.

  80. I guess I started a weight loss blog for focus and accountability. I thought it might help me. Starting out, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it. Hypothyroidism, achy knees, and some trepidation about turning 50. As I started to lose weight, the way I approached the blog started to change. Instead of it being about supporting my efforts, I hoped it would be helpful to others too.

    I’ve lost the weight I set out to lose and have been maintaining for a little while now. Lately, I don’t know if my blog is worth the time it takes. There are so many others where people have lost hundreds of pounds and have such compelling stories to tell. Maybe it is time to bow out and become a commenter only.

    Lots to think about.

    Whatever you decide, Carla, I want to thank you for sharing so much of yourself and for creating a positive place in blogland for people to pause & consider some of the important things in life.

  81. I blog because when I’m moving around so quickly all day doing mindless tasks for other people, I need something to attach my heart to. Because it gives me a light at the end of the tunnel, something to be proud of and keep motivated for. I blog because my blog is a symbol of my dream life, one where I move my daily occupations from the service industry to a place where I feel rewarded for my time and effort, and where I can feel at home and communicate with people about things that really matter to me.
    I loved this post – thank you.

  82. readingreading THANK YOU ALL so much for your thoughts.

    So many of you could be living in my head and more than a few gave me an accidental verbal reminder and smack UP SIDE THE HEAD.

    all appreciated

  83. I started blogging when I stopped working two years ago. I thought my blog would be a journal of my triumphant weight loss and fertility journey and maybe a source of inspiration and information for the many others in the same boat as me.

    It may still be that. But for now it’s just me taking small steps towards a better life. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it’s incredibly rewarding. I live far from my friends and am home alone all day. Yet I am part of the greatest community I can think of. I am inspired daily and I am blessed by all the people who visit my blog and find something of value there.

    Furthermore, I have gained so much insight into my own mind from actually writing stuff down. Some days I would write something that would take me completely by surprise!

    Blogging means more to me than being promoted to the position of financial manager of a hotel did. It just doesn’t pay as well. NOBODY wants to send me anything or have me promote anything. I would love to have some kind of web-based job from home, but here in my neck of the woods that doesn’t seem too likely.

    I just hope that Mizfit sticks around. Blogging would not be the same without you. You add enormous value!

  84. I started blogging to remember my weight-loss journey, and I keep blogging because I remembered I like to write!

    Yeah, I wish I could get sponsored and *woohoo* quit my day job – especially on my days off, when I spend hours reading, responding to and then writing my blog. But obviously it’s not going to happen, especially since the big guns like you and Cranky Fitness aren’t getting sponsors. 🙁

    I do like getting the occasional product to review, and I like reading other blogger’s product reviews…were it not for them, I wouldn’t have discovered PB2!

    Please don’t stop blogging, Carla – I would miss (miz?) you!

  85. I appreciate your honesty as I, too, have recently launched a blog in hopes of quitting my job and blogging full time.

    The more bloggers I meet the more I’ve realized that may not be a reality.

    I’d love to know the name of the blogger you don’t mention in your comment 😉

  86. First, if you blog somewhere else, will you please tell us? I’ll read anything you want to write. 🙂

    I started blogging because I got tired of feeling like I was traveling in circles, doing the same things over and over and wondering why nothing was changing. (Why, yes I DO have the attention span/memory of a goldfish – why do you ask? ;D) I needed a place to write it all down, so I could go back through and remind myself of things.

    I keep blogging because it turns out that I don’t have all the answers to life (SHOCKING, I KNOW), and the feedback I get from other people is more helpful than I ever would have imagined. A lot of the progress I’ve made has come directly from people who’ve commented on my blog. (And from the blogs – including this one – that I READ, but I could read without blogging, so I blog for feedback.)

    Also because I don’t think everyone else in my life wants to listen to me and my never-ending, intensive navel-gazing. But for some reason, people on the internet do! Woo-hoo! 😉

  87. Hmmm…there’s no possible way I can say all I want to say in 10 minutes or less. 😉 But I’ll try….

    I feel really bummed that your blog doesn’t generate income for you. I would miss you if you stopped blogging; you have no idea how much you’ve helped me during my quest for better health. Not for the first time, I wish I had the connections to help make that happen, but I’m just a humble tech writer by trade. Part of why I blog & comment is an attempt to “pay it forward” by spreading the message of what one can do to work toward better health and, possibly more impactfully, help show that it’s possible. (It was part of my blogging mission from the start, and that has made it a great accountability tool for me, as so many have mentioned…plus every writer likes to tell a good story 🙂 ) Although my blog is public, I didn’t expect to get much readership, and I’m delighted that there are a handful of “cheertaskers” who visit and comment.

    I really liked dragonmama’s idea (comment #48). You + Cranky & Merry + Charlotte would be a formidable combination, although I really like the individual voices of your respective blogs, too…I think the idea is compelling because people really love the community you’ve fostered here, but it seems to me that carrying the responsibility for keeping The Band bumbling together has become bigger than perhaps you’d expected/wanted to handle alone?

    Anyhow, if you decide to not keep Mizfit Online going, I hope you’ll provide some way for us to find your other writings, whether online or in the publishing world.

  88. Hey, you reading my mind again? This was my Tuesday topic. 🙂 Not a complaint; I’m happy to cross it off the list. (I might mention that you took care of it, but I almost might leave it for the historians to think I did it on my own.) DONT CROSS OFF 🙂 post please

    I’ve been doing a lotsa thinking about why I blog, and it really boils down to the belief that I have something of value to share. After years of obesity, and then morbid obesity, I figured out a way to lose a significant amount of weight in a way that was fun, rewarding, and sustainable. I’m still figuring out (and sharing) the ways to live a healthier life with the same focus. It’s fun and gratifying for me to think *anyone* benefits from it, but most importantly *I* benefit from the explorations.

    Yep, and like you, I’m turning down the PR folks more often than not these days, at least the ones I’m hearing from out of the blue. It’s not that I expect freebies, but they could at least cough up a $1-off coupon or something for the readers. I don’t like feeling used.

    To leave on a more positive note, here’s wishing you a VERY happy weekend!

  89. I blog because I love to write. I express my feelings best in writing, and it is the easiest way for me to get my point across.

    I blog because I want to be heard. Whether it is just one person, or a hundred, I want for someone to know that I am out here.

    I blog because I am alone. I enjoy the sense of community, and I love how it feels to get a comment.

    I blog because I want to be part of something special. I want to be the next FLG, the guy that everbody is saying, “Holy $#!7, you lost a crap ton of weight!” to. And I want to see other people’s success stories, and say that to them.

    And… I blog because it helps me feel just a bit less lonely in the middle of the night, when I start thinking about all of the depressing things.

  90. Well, this is all very interesting. For you, Miz, you give so much to so many people. I know I have benefited from your insight and wisdom, and mostly in areas of my life outside the weight loss/fitness arena!

    But I take a hard line when it comes to income. If at work they want you to do extra, but don’t want to pay for it, I always advise people not to do it (many do extra work for free, and then complain that they are not appreciated.) I always say that unfortunately, in this world, you are valued by monetary means. If I want to give to charity, that is my choice, and I will choose where I want that money to go, not have it chosen for me.

    I blog because it is fun, and also because I think it is amazing that I have finally been able to lose weight, and I want to share with others that it is possible, and not everyone in your real life wants to hear about it.

  91. I started blogging as ‘therapy’ since I couldn’t work out, had put on some weight, and was really bummed about it. Then I was able to work out again, lost the weight, yet continue to blog because it’s STILL very therapeutic for me.

    There are things I can ask and share that I wouldn’t get feedback for from my everyday friends and family members…I LOVE it! I love that I’m learning things from others constantly and maybe people learn a thing or two from me, too.

  92. i started blogging for selfish reasons. i needed something in the vast universe to keep me accountable to me. i love to just let my fingers fly on the keyboard and see what comes out.

    to my HUGE surprise people read it. people i didn’t know. and..they liked it. i made them laugh. or at least, smile. that, changed it all for me.

    then i started finding other blogs out htere..people who i could relate to, or, in kind, made me laugh or smile. I have a short mental list of blog people i would love to someday meet..i think this might turn out to be a goal weight reward. Travel the world meeting those who helped change my life to give them a huge hug and a face to face thank you.

    when i read that people MAKE MONEY from this i have to admit, as a non working mom i was UBER excited. its odd, not once has a company offered me a product to promote, or even answered an email i have sent asking them for a product to giveaway in relation to a product review i have written. That whole POM giveaway? never got emailed about it. And, so be it. My blog will remain what it is ..a place for my thoughts, and dreams, and nightmares and ups and downs from the scale.
    A resource of recipes and laughs for others to peruse in their leisure.
    why do i blog? to keep me sane, and maybe..keep someone else from cracking up as well.

    xo

  93. Hmmm …
    Myself … I’ve been blogging for others lately, not myself and I don’t like it. I feel ‘blogged down’ with obligation & guilt if I don’t get to everyone I enjoy reading & who enjoys me & all the wonderful people who comment and encourage me. It’s taken over entire days and weeks that I could be actually living life instead of talking about it.
    I originally started blogging to keep an online diary of my weight loss progress.
    I’ve since put too much pressure on myself to blog for others. This happened at the same time I put up a followers list. I think I’d like to take mine down because does/should it really matter how many people are following me? Isn’t that an ego trip for me? It also feeds in to a problem I have with comparing myself to others and it’s not healthy in either direction.
    And more and more I’m finding myself feeling defensive about the approach I’m taking for weight loss.
    I wouldn’t be doing this if I was just blogging for myself.
    I also feel an obligation to blog daily, comment daily, visit everyone’s blogs that I love daily (IMPOSSIBLE!) & it’s all felt like too much lately. I’m really imbalanced with the whole thing.
    and also wondering about the why of it all.
    What I will say is that it’s probably why I’ve stuck with a program to get healthier. It keeps me accountable & I’ve met the most amazing, loving group of people I’d never have otherwise met.
    I would miss you too, Carla, but you have to do what’s right for YOU and your family. This can really take ‘over’ your life and not simply be an adjunct and that’s where the problem lies for me right now.
    I hope you find the best solution for *YOURSELF*.
    xox

  94. I look forward to your posts whatever you talk about. If you want to change topics, I’ll still read. 🙂

    I blog to share what I’ve learned with others putting on the good fight. It was hard at times and I feel impossible without some sort of support. So, I felt I should pay that forward.

    At first I started it as another writing outlet, and it does remain that. But, I continue to keep in contact with people I’ve come to care about.

  95. I started blogging to keep track of marathon training, but it has turned into a wonderful network of people who share the same passions I do. I have become good friends with many of them.

    Blogging fills my creative need to write.

  96. Hi Miz… I wish I had got to this earlier. A day for me when I do not exercise & get up in the middle of the night to go to the gym & then come home to sleep after. It was a day to sleep in & visit with a friend.

    So, I am just getting to this & my, what a post!!!! I read Charlotte’s post at GFE last night & wrote this to her:

    “As we always say in blog world, do what feels right & good to you and FOR you. We would so miss you while but if you decide to not continue this is your life & you need to take care of #1 you! And that family too!”

    I am just a small nobody but I can understand your thoughts. I don’t have PR after me BUT even this small blog of mine is very time consuming.

    I first started my blog because I wanted people to know that as we age, we still can be fit & healthy. We don’t dry up & die! I did not want people to give up. I wanted them to know if you put the effort in, you can get something good out of it. AND yes, I did have in my mind that maybe eventually, I might make some money at it BUT I can see that is very hard to do.

    Right now, I do it because again, I like helping people, bringing info to them that they may not find elsewhere OR just don’t have time to read AND MOST OF ALL, I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT AGE IS JUST A NUMBER. Yes, I get down on myself about the age things I can’t do anything about BUT there is a lot you can do & you can be active, healthy, have muscles if you want to & all that good stuff even if you are in your 50’s or older.

    I feel your dilemma. You have a large community that follows you BUT you need to FOLLOW WHAT YOUR HEART TELLS YOU TO DO & WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY & HEALTHY FOR YOU!

    Thx so much for sharing!

    PS: This “back world of blogging” that I know nothing about… saddens me!

  97. i started blogging as a way to journal my way through some fitness goals and track my own personal progress. then i discovered that there is an entire community of like minded folks out there. Now I blog to share my experiences and learn from others. 🙂

  98. I’m not a blogger, just a blogreader. I admire your ability to put your thoughts into beautiful words that seem as though they’re effortless. But I know they are not; a lot of work most go into your posts (thank you).

    I agree with dragonmama. Many of my favorite bloggers are burning out–Mizfit, Roni, Cranky, Charlotte. The synergy that you (all) could produce by working together would be amazing.

  99. I blog because it keeps me accountable to my small number of readers/friends/myself and keeps them going as well. I read YOUR blog because I like the way you write and feel better after reading your “real-life” gongs on. I found you through another friend’s blog and simply enjoyed your writing. Don’t really care if there are freebies or not although I’m wearing my oiselle bra right now and never would have found them if not through that give-away. And I love the workout book, too, that I found through your freebies…and have recommended it to others. So, I have benifitted from your give-aways, but would read your writing regardless. If you change to another venue, I’d like in on it! Not for the freebies, but for the fun that is YOU.

  100. damn—you are all awesome. in what youre willing to share and in how honest you are with me as well.
    and I appreciate it.

    quite frankly I thought more of you would say what commenter #19 did and I wouldnt blame you.

    I just adore the ability to indulge myself on fridays, gaze deeeeeply into my no-longer-pierced navel and write.

  102. I first started blogging as a source of motivation to fight my eating disorder. But now, I blog because of the awesome community. I blog because it keeps me sane when I am going through some rough patch, and also to share any good news I have, to share the new insights and recipes I receive. And I’m still surprised people actually want to read my writing. And I am pleasantly surprised by how many amazing new friends I have made through my blog.

  103. Thanks for this post Miz! I kind of feel the same way lately. I started my blog to help others realize that it is possible to lose a large amt. of weight all on your own and keep it off…then the blog kind of turned into Heather Eats Weird Things blended in her Vita-Mix…I dare you to try it. 🙂 I also wanted to blog about the fact that excessive cardio is so unnecessary, and I have. I think those are the posts I am most proud of.

    I write about all these things, but I find that my blog is kind of overtaking my life, ya know? I’m thinking I need a break. HEAB needs to maybe take care of HEAB for a while.

  104. Girl, I sometimes get annoyed at the whole corporate/PR thing too. But, I really try to take a step back and focus on the very question you are asking!

    I blog to help people – to inspire change, provide some small morsel of hope in the hopelessness of their financial situation. Heak, if they aren’t struggling, to inspire them to give with what they can save. And, of course, share and show other moms that if this momma of 3 kiddos can lose her baby weight and make fitness a priority, it’s possible for anyone!

    I love the community you have built here. I respect you so much for doing what you are doing because it’s coming from a place of generosity and sincerity.

    I mean, you even offered your professional advice to me. You have tons of experience and a wealth of knowledge and it was all from a place of giving! That’s just not found anywhere online anymore – but it’s what I love cause it’s what I’m about too!

    I just love that You are YOU – authentic, full of energy, personable, approachable, compassionate – YOU!

    These companies will eventually realize that they want more people like YOU representing them rather than the moms who are punching each other out! Seriously, we are zero drama full of love! Who doesn’t want that…especially when you got Seuss on your leg 😉

  105. First I want to say, I’m really glad you’re here. I know you always post to me when I’m struggling and I’m grateful for your words.

    Why do I blog, I think it’s because I needed more than I had in my life for support. I needed to reach out to others in my shoes and know that they struggled sometimes too and that everyone had up and down days but everyone still moved forward no matter what. I blog to get whats on my chest off so I won’t eat over it. I blog also to give back, to try to make someone else feel better when I can and I blog for friendship. With working full time and having a husband and 3 kids I don’t have much time left to reach out to people so this is my way of doing that. To make new friendships with real meaning. I love blogging and I really can’t picture my life without it ever.

    This was a great post and I hope you will always be here with me. *hugs*

  106. I blog in place of going to WW meetings. I have never found them useful – even in the beginning. I love the genuine concern and amazing support system that exists online. It makes this daunting task of losing a boat load of weight a LOT easier and far more fun. I don’t think I would be as successful at losing the weight without all of my fellow weight loss bloggers. I honestly don’t.

  107. I like this post and the honesty and ambivalence you are willing to share with us. After reading (ad nauseum) about BlogHer on so many blogs, I was pretty turned-off by the mommy-blogger-sellout angle of it…but as a new blogger I had to ask myself: was I jealous? was I being ridiculously judgmental? did I not “get” what blogging today was about?

    So I suspended judgment but did unsubscribe from some of the whining. I do believe you, MizFit, have clear eyes and some perspective upon which to base your opinion and maybe I’m not that far off after all.

    As for your blog, whatever works for you will have to work for us…or not, in which case we can choose to continue reading…or not. Really, it’s that simple : )

    Oh, and I blog because I first and foremost really do want to provide value, inspiration and information to moms and others trying to balance healthy living and moving de body. Second would be building community, and thirdly, I suppose, I am happy making (a very small amount of) money creating custom fitness programs for readers.

  108. wow. I think what has surprised me most about this post (beyond the lack of “quit yer b*tching girlfriend” comments are a few of you who share in my feelings/

    Some days I feel I wear my blogmalaise as a badge (perhaps I dont?) and am one of the few who feel this way.

    I dont want to single anyone out (thats what email is for :)) but that you for stepping up and saying you too feel this way.

    Its all such a tough choice as the reason I started this blog.
    The reason I am still JAZZED and ENERGIZED by it all is YOU.

  109. I want to say that I am really surprised at your post.

    My blog is so new and I get so few comments I had always looked to your blog as my “goal blog.”

  111. MizFit, I have always been awed and astounded at the Gift that this blog is, and there are always “no hidden costs.” It took me a long time to understand that you TRULY had nothing to sell – not personal training or a book or a Program or products! And it blew my mind!

    I can relate to so much of what you said but I also think that you DESERVE to be paid for your experience and wisdom. I’ve done many many MANY things for little or no pay, and after a while that gets tiring. People take advantage. You can always offer a sliding scale, or discounts or scholarships if you want to continue your generosity, but I think people WOULD pay for you to do what you do. It’s good honest work. And it IS work. It takes your time and effort. So. That’s my 2 cents. You are worth a lot.

  112. I can see you are conflicted. You should blog because you love it and not have to promote companies who aren’t willing to comensate.

    I blog because it is accountability for me. It helps me to think out the thinks about my healthy life journey other than just the food and exercise. I can easily get obsessed with those two things. But if I focus on all the little healthy changes I’ve made in addition to my eating and exercise than I know that this is a lifestyle change and not just another quick fix.

  113. My .02:

    The marketing money at companies is growing ever smaller so they are looking to bloggers to work for free.

    As you stated as long as some are willing to work for free none will get paid.

  114. I blog out of enjoyment and because I am unexpectedly loving being a part of the blogging community. I never thought I’d actually make “friends” this way.

  115. I love mizfit’s blog!!!

    and I blog as a creative release! I also love being part of this community. If I’m sad, or feeling down, there is always someone I can turn to from this amazing group….or somebody that will make me smile!!

    Happy Weekend Carla!! 🙂

  116. I started blogging, and only very recently, after many, many months of blog lurking and many months of membership in a free online diet communiy that rhymes with darksteeple.
    I read many blogs and saw lots of ligitimate help and encouragement.
    I read many blogs where the blogger bitched and moaned and made me crazy. I quit lurking there.
    I blogged a bit at darksteeple but only found short little comments from people who were required to comment on others blogs a certain number of times a week.
    I also started blogging because I daily email my sister and she doesn’t read my email but does pay attention to blogs. I often threaten her with “I need a blog so you’ll pay attention”
    I have not encountered the many pitfalls you describe in my small little blog. I imagine at least some of them will appear as I continue.
    I started my little blog because I like to put my thoughts down somewhere and there is a record of them and my struggles/successes for me to reflect on. And others if they choose.
    I started my blog to share what I have learned and to learn some more from others.

  117. Why do I blog?

    I am new to blogging so my answer changes from day to day as I’m trying to find my voice.

    After 15 years of business to business (B2B) corporate marketing, I recently found myself without a job–like many others out there.

    I needed an outlet for my creative energy so one day I decided pick up my laptop and start writing something other than resumes and cover letters.

    I picked the most natural thing for me to focus on: fitness, food, and fashion…my passions. And, like you, MizFit, I am often asked for tips in the gym and recipes so I thought a web space would be a good place to share my tips and tricks collectively.

    I also started blogging so I could start exploring social media, as a marketing tool that I can sharpen for when I land my next position.

    In just over a month I have made connections with old friends and new. And connected with businesses small and mid-sized. I’m learning so much about people, their spirits, their passions. I’m also reconnecting with the business world and feel like I’m able to share some ideas and experience with them on how to grow their business (while asking nothing in return).

    Why do I blog? Because, so far it is very rewarding. I’m giving a little and getting back so much. I feel like I’ve been given a gift.

  120. Oh Miz,
    I wish I’d read this yesterday! I don’t blog because I don’t know how to get started. I guess I haven’t had the courage either. You have been a constant source of encouragement, both on the blog and personally. I have never been able to be any more that what I am. I may have tried, but unsuccessfully. When I was introduced to being unapologetically myself, I was so happy to have someone put my thoughts out there! I feel so isolated sometimes. I guess we all do. You are generous beyond words. and inspiring. If I ever get up the guts to blog, I will credit you and rhyme every chance I get. And while I don’ t often feel beautiful, I am encouraged by you and my daughter, that no matter what size I am or become, being me is great. you too. Ps…the bat mitzvah is in april if you’re bored and in New jersey! LOL

  121. Delurking (late) only to say something similar to Myra. I’m not a blogger and am surprised and grateful for the generosity and honesty of the blogging community. I’m rather tempted to rabbit on now (tears in my eyes and all that) – so just THANK YOU! Good luck and best wishes with whatever you decide.

  123. Where else would I put all those words?

    Oh TherapyDoc you have nailed it.

    Channel them other places?

    Write for the next generation?

    for all of our daughters?

    pen smart tween fiction which helps girls see how amazatastic they are and not ‘make’ them wish they were skinny blond did a lot of drugs had perfect figures (and hair!) & a never ending wardrobe allowance.

    methinks that’s another First Person Friday post…

  124. I blogged about my weightloss and when I lost and maintained for a while I felt I had n othing more to say or share!

    I don’t imagine I will blog again unless I have a similar challenge I am facing.

  125. Like Miz I started out as a personal/Mommy blogger. I was pretty immersed in the experience of mom-ing: I had 5 babies in 6 years after 10 years of infertility. my first was born when I was 38.

    My blog was and has always been a safe place where i could VENT. A place where I could compare (and OMG contrast!) my parenting style with everyone else’s and comment on those who don’t seem to parent at all.

    I also wanted to help people just by throwing my experiences up on the ‘net for people to find and that has been the best part. I blog about my baby’s rash and get bunches of hits from folks who are going thru the same thing, then we compare notes and reassure each other.

    My diet blog happened naturally when I had my last child and I had managed to get up to 322lbs. No way was I going to let obesity kill me and keep me from my sweet babies! So I lost weight (150+ lbs so far) and blogged about dieting. 🙂

    I have many blogs, all for different reasons. One very personal, one for my graphic design business, my diet blog, my mommy blog, even one for my farm.

    I love blogging. I find it cathartic.

  127. I think I blog for different reasons each day. I originally started to keep a journal to help myself lose weight. Then I wanted to maintain. Then, I met so many other wonderful bloggers, and it became more of a social thing. Sometimes when I post, I want to vent. Sometimes I want to share a mesage/idea. Sometimes I just want to write. But it’s always fulfilling.
    I do hope you keep an online presence, Carla!

  128. You are a firestarter aren’t you. Just look at all of these comments. When I grow up to be a big blogger I want to be like you. 🙂 All kidding aside, I really appreciate your question because it made me think, and strive for clarity. That’s kinda exactly why I blog actually. I always wanted to write, but I wasn’t really sure how to add it to my life, particularly in the early years of my adult journey when all I was doing was theatre and commercials and such. Then I became a MOM, and Good Lord there simply was no time to write because being a MOM is an on the job training kind of experience. Plus, I was still trying to be an ACTRESS and a WIFE and a DAUGHTER at the same time. HA! When I felt I wasn’t being a good enough MOM I had the brilliant idea that opening my own business would give me more time with my kids. (I never said I was bright!) So, I added ENTREPRENEUR to my cap. However, with that newest title came a website with a built in blog capability. So, I started writing, Notices really. I didn’t even know it was a blog, I just thought of it as advertising. Which is what I was doing. Nothing really personal or deep, just getting info about my company out there. But wait, I’m not done. Let’s go back and surmise where we are. I am a MOM, WIFE, DAUGHTER, ACTRESS, ENTREPRENEUR. Simply not enough. SO, I added TV PERSONALITY to my list. With that my “blog” changed a bit and became a little more personal, but still on the promotional side. I had stuff to say, but it had to be couched in the framework of someone elses’ idea of who I was. At least that’s what I thought. But when I realized one day that certain powers that be were trying to take away a part of me I had to really claim it for my own. Thus the title was changed from ambiguous TV PERSONALITY, to definitive MISS LORI, and I grew up. Being MISS LORI could only mean something if I made it so. I started to write more songs and shows that reached deeper inside of me. I wasn’t playing a part in my life anymore, I was attempting to live it, fully. But my journey wasn’t over. (Well, is it ever?) My plate was full of titles, but another was knocking at my door, MOMMY BLOGGER. It seemed to me at first that this was a title that I already had, de facto. I was a mommy and I was blogging “ish”. But that was so small potatoes, I realize now. As soon as I agreed to be a MOMMY BLOGGER for Chicago Moms Blog I stepped through a door into another complete universe, and I was humbled by all that I saw. Before when I was blogging it was like that old adage “if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it does it make a sound?” I wasn’t sure if I was really being heard before because there was no one around me. But now in this alternate universe of the Blogospere I was surrounded by people, and definitely making a sound. I was so inspired by all of the new and insightful people around me that I extracted my little no nothing blog from my performance website and gave it its’ own home at MissLori.TV, and new name to reflect my life, “Musing from my Mininvan”. It was such an empowering act. Long story short, I finally come to my final answer. (I never said I was quick!) I blog because it is empowering. Blogging has helped me erase my segmented list of titles and give me one solid title that I never gave myself before. I am WOMAN, (hear me roar)! nuff said.

    SMILE On!

    ML
    http://www.MissLori.TV
    http://www.MissLorisCAMPUS.com

  129. Great post Carla!

    I blog because some day I think it would be cool for my grandkids to read my words and “live” my life with me.

    It also keeps my Mom and parents-in-law in the loop with what we are up to and they so enjoy logging in every day.

    In fact, if it gets to be 11:00 and I haven’t posted what I had for breakfast, my MIL emails me on the side with “what did you have for breakfast!”

  130. Interesting post. I’m a bit late to this party as I just got back home from traveling last night.

    I don’t know why I blog, now that I think about it! Part of it is having an English degree and always liking to write something somewhere. It started as sort of a journaling thing, then I realized some people were reading it (mostly friends from fitness forums), then I started blogging for those readers and joined the Healthy You Challenge and read other fitness blogs through that, etc. It sort of snowballed until I found myself blogging daily and with a set daily plan. Then the blogmalaise hit me hard (around the time I got pregnant with baby #3) and I was posting sporadically until I finally consciously scaled way back–dropped the schedule I’d made for myself, dropped BlogHer ads or anything other than the very lazy Google ads and stopped doing giveaways (many of which were out of my own pocket because I’m crazy that way). So Fit Fig became just an occasional posting place. Then the crazy blog bug bit me again and I started another blog (not sure how many blogs I’ve stopped and started now) to go with a little Etsy shop I started. Apparently I did not want as much free time as I thought I did. I’m sure all of it will fall by the wayside again as soon as the baby arrives next month.

    Oh, and got the silly notion to do 2 giveaways this week (one each on 2 blogs) and again it’s out of my own pocket/time.

  131. I think like so many we start blogging for a way to share our experiences, to create a supportive community or to let our feelings out.
    What I have found that is interesting is the real emotional attachment I have with all of our blog friends. I really feel as though they (you) are all my real friend. I feel excitement and joy for everyone’s accomplishments and sometimes grief and sorrow for their heartache.
    Anyone who does not think this is a “real world” has not experienced what it has to offer. It is more than just writing and ranting it is about connecting with others, laughing, crying, cheering and supporting.
    So I guess I blog for myself, my new friends, my old friends, support and love.
    XO

  132. 1. to keep track of the blur that is raising 4 young boys.

    2. to spew out all of my struggles and victories with my now postbaby weight. (ps I’m private now. will you email me? i’ve sent you an invite to 2 different addresses and both came back to me…)

  133. I started blogging because, well, I was mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore! (cue Twisted Sister) Actually, I was fed up with gaming sites written by and for 12-year-old boys, which bashed games and the Wii in particular for no other reason than having a fitness theme and/or being directed at girls. So I started writing my views, as a mom, on games, fitness and life, and it’s addicting! I can see how it can become time-consuming (I’m still working on turning out a post in under an hour!) but I love being able to vent into the blogosphere whether one person or hundreds are listening. Love your site; thanks for asking!

  134. We started WMDA for an outlet and it was much cheaper than therapy and as a way to build a community and a strong network.
    While I do love it I too am finding that it is harder and harder to remain consistent in posting. Life is creaping in and I need to spend more and more time looking for projects to pay the bills. I must work a lot harder these days for a lot less. The fact is that blogging does not pay the bills. I do love the community that has been built and the incredible people we have met along the way and for that reason we will continue to push – maybe a few less posts.

  135. I started my (first) blog because I was lost. I had no voice, I had given away my life to a job that I loved but it was no longer enough. I had taken my life and handed over control to someone else and in so doing created a wall around myself- that wall was my location, my lack of friends, the layers of fat, etc.

    I grew, I found my voice, I found a new (much better life) with the blog. I started the current one because I was a new person, and I needed a new blog for it.

    It is my outlet and that’s the beauty of blogging it can be what YOU want it to be and no one else can or should have a say in that.

    For a long time, I ignored emails for reviews and stuff but then I realized that if people are reading and I know of/hear of some great companies that we should be supporting then I should share. I would never sell myself out or my blog- if I don’t like something I say it. If I get something that I don’t feel comfortable sharing, I just don’t. I think as long as I remain honest than it’s fine.

    It bothers me that BlogHer, a conference that should have left the bloggers I adore and admire (you, Kath, Jenn, for example) empowered and even more excited about blogging than ever, has instead had them questioning themselves and their blogs. It makes me rethink my desire to go next year…

    That being said… I think you are amazing. I find encouragement, inspiration and wisdom in your words and am so thankful for them. You’re a strong woman who just happens to be a great wife and mother as well. How amazing is that? I can only hope to emulate that strength and commitment to helping others, health, and family.

    Now, just make sure that if you ever switch it up, you let me know where you are because even though I don’t *know* you, I’d miss you desperately.

    Keep doing what you’re doing- which is following your heart and we’ll support you all the way.

    xoxo- R

    p.s. no google reader- OMG- impressive!

  136. What a good question, MizFit. I think one of the tough parts about being our own “boss” is that we set the bar for ourselves, and so our expectations tend to be higher than they would be maybe if we weren’t our own bosses. So if you want to blog, say, only once or twice a week, it is totally ok of course — but because you’ve set the daily precedence, it *feels* pressuring — I can totally relate to that!!!

    I blog for me, first and foremost — as a way to talk through my recovery. My audience — fellow DEs, fellow people dealing with weight loss, friends/family … is secondary most of the time to my own needs.

    Which is why I, too, have felt like maybe I need a little break from the constant M-F bloggging precedence I myself created!!

    I love what you do, and would read you anywhere, even monthly!

  137. hmm, well i blog b/c i like to cook and was always searching for healthy recipes. i figured i could put ones i tried and sometimes even come up with myself in one place it’d be nice to have around… and hopefully one of these days i’ll convince someone to do a tri 🙂

  138. I blog mainly to share. I love information and I love to share it with others. That doesn’t mean I don’t like all the other stuff that goes along with it. I like getting free stuff. I don’t mind blogging about a product if I love it and think my readers will love it, too. That’s sharing.

    I think blogging is pretty difficult when you really get into it. I mean, here we are spending TONS of our precious time writing, commenting, trying to get traffic and subscribers and attention. And most of us get *nothing* for our time. Except community. The people, the sharing, the bonding. That’s what it’s really about. People who expect more from it are probably going to be disappointed.

    I’ve thought about quitting blogging lots of times. But the truth is, I love it. I would feel a big gaping whole if I didn’t do it.

  139. I started blogging when I didn’t have a clue what I was doing… just about being a first time new homeowner and such. Then I found out about google adsense and thought I’d earn a bit o cash too. Big whoop – $18 in the first three months. I’m rich.

    After a while, I realized I was writing about too many topics on the 1 blog. I separated them into several dif blogs, focusing on my passions, and did a little promo on the side when I could. By now, I understood blogging.

    Then I realized I needed help with my health. I started my gettinghealthy blog and started being honest. I blog there because I need somewhere to vent, and to let it all hang out. Anonymously. Still, I feel I’ve made friends, like you and Jen the Prior Fat Girl and TJ and Ron and many more. I need the support because sometimes it’s hard to do in person. Especially with all three members of our little family with special dietary needs, like gluten-free.

    It would be nice if I earned money or endorsed products for my blogging time. It would be wonderful, in fact. Anyone got any tips? Feel free to browse and comment them to… Vee at http://www.veegettinghealthy.blogspot.com

  140. Lately I’ve felt like I’ve lost my voice and I have nothing meaningful left to say. Other days I feel like there is this big party going on and I’m on the outside looking in if that makes sense at all.it makes a LOT of sense to me, SJ

  141. Oh, Miz. I have been doing a lot of thinking, too. Not sure what will come of it. But the greatest thing about this fitness blogging community is we all go together – somehow, we just fit, even though we all have different styles, different content. And I am so thankful for getting to know you and all the other wonderful people in our fitness blogging community – that only happened because I blog.

  142. no good answers except that I’d miss you if you stopped. Even on twitter today you made me think…am I saying things that are good or mean? So, I try not to put out there how cranky I am or why does my kid scream so much.

    why do I blog? have no idea but I am thankful for all that it has brought me and taught me over the years.

  143. I am so glad you blog. I don’t comment, but I read often and find so much useful information and inspiration here.

    I blog because writing about my journey is a good way to keep me from veering too far off my intended path or to bring me back when I have veered off. I blog because I have found a community here that I find caring and supportive and understanding of circumstance. I blog because I feel like there is something inside of me that needs to be share and perhaps if I continue writing long enough it will find its way to the surface.

    Thanks again for sharing yourself with us!

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  4. […] read this post on MizFit(love her)’s blog several days ago entitled First Person Fridays: Why Do You Blog? and THEN several days later I read A Merry Life(also love her)’s post entitled Feeling Like […]

  5. […] They’ve launched a community over at Divine Caroline where you can win free stuff and we all know Im a big believer in connecting and community. […]

  7. […] · 11 comments I read this post on MizFit(love her)’s blog several days ago entitled First Person Fridays: Why Do You Blog? and THEN several days later I read A Merry Life(also love her)’s post entitled Feeling Like […]

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